PHILADELPHIA WIRELESS: DEAL IS DONE

Posted March 1 on the City of Philadelphia website:

PHILADELPHIA - Mayor John F. Street announced today that four agreements have been signed allowing EarthLink and Wireless Philadelphia to bring wireless Internet service to every City neighborhood. When fully implemented, the initiative will turn Philadelphia into the nation’s largest WiFi hotspot and help to improve education, bridge the digital divide, enhance neighborhood development, and reduce the costs of government.

...Under the agreements, EarthLink will build, manage and maintain a wireless network over the City’s 135 square miles at no cost to taxpayers. EarthLink will install transmittal devices on approximately 4,000 of the City’s street lamp pole arms for which it will pay the City. In addition, EarthLink will provide City residents and visitors with free hotspots in 22 locations around Philadelphia, and provide the City with 3,000 free or discounted WiFi accounts and 700 discounted T-1 accounts to be used at the City’s option.

...Wireless Philadelphia, a non-profit entity incorporated by Mayor Street last March, will use the revenues it receives from EarthLink (5 percent of access revenue) and other monies raised to invest in educational and social programs to help Philadelphia citizens. $2 million of the amount EarthLink pays to the City also will be used for programs to help bridge the digital divide. Initial plans include purchasing 10,000 discounted computers for children and low-income residents to use and for associated training programs. Wireless Philadelphia will also be responsible for building awareness of the program among audiences across the City.

The costs of the service will be geared to users’ different needs. Economically disadvantaged users will be charged $9.95 a month while other Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will be charged a wholesale rate that allows them to sell access for $20 a month or less to retail customers.

Here's the MuniWireless summary of the deal, and some comments.

The Daily News still likes the idea but wants more details before final City Council approval.

And this just in from north of the water... Toronto's municipal electric company announces plans to deploy wireless broadband citywide on the Philadelphia model.

I'm going to be in Philly the week after next. Lucky timing...